This last side-dish from our Thanksgiving in May roundup comes from Ellie Krieger, who often features lower-fat versions of classic recipes. Since we had about two gallons of butter in our stuffing, it was nice to pretend that we were having a light meal with the addition of this Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole. The pecan topping was delicious and crunch-tastic.

Chris says:

Well, it’s over, this Thanksgiving of ours…

Lisa says:

Noooo, it can’t be!

Chris says:

Don’t worry, it’ll live on in leftovers and blog posts.

Lisa says:

Blog posts? Yeah, right… with the kid coming, we won’t have time for that.

Chris says:

Don’t you see? It’s perfect! We probably won’t get to posting it until late spring, or even summer! Then we’ll be able to look back upon these dishes and salivate all over again!

Lisa says:

Oh, so like instead of “Christmas in July”, we’ll have “Thanksgiving in May”?

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Now, I have no idea what “Nachatta” means, but this riff on Chicken Marsala, with cranberries, mushrooms, and a touch of cream, echoed the flavors of turkey and cranberry sauce and so made a fantastic main course for our Thanksgiving dinner. I found the recipe in the Seattle Celebrated Chefs Cookbook, courtesy of Amore. We served it with the previously-posted Thanksgiving favorite, Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts.

Chris says:

I gotta say, this is a great turkey sub…

Lisa says:

What? This isn’t a sandwich…

Chris says:

Sigh… “sub” as in “substitute”.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I know. It’s called playin’ around. Heard of it? Anyway, I agree. It’s awesome! I heart the shrooms.

Chris says:

Well *I* heart the cranberries.

Lisa says:

I suggest we make this again some time… perhaps in May, when Thanksgiving is all but a hazy memory…

Chris says:

How about June? I’m predicting a busy first half of the year.

Lisa says:

May, June, Nachatta, Colada, whateva. It’s all good, as long as it happens eventually!

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until tender and somewhat browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Coat the chicken breasts with the flour, patting to remove excess. Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat to medium-high. Add the chicken breasts and brown, 1-2 mintues. Turn the chicken over, add the brown sugar to the skillet, and stir so that it melts. Add the chicken broth and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Marsala, mushrooms, onions, and dried cranberries. Bring to a boil, add the cream, and lower the heat to medium. Simmer until reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and top with the pan sauce.

Welcome back to Thanksgiving in May! This is the most buttery, herby, shroomy, deeeelish stuffing we’ve enjoyed in a long time. I went searching for a new stuffing recipe and when I stumbled upon this one at food52 I knew I found our winner. The most difficult part of this recipe was tracking down a loaf of challah in the days leading up to the holiday.

Lisa says:

Oh my god, I forgot about this one.

Chris says:

Not me — I loved how buttery it was, and the texture was awesome — almost like a bread pudding.

Cut the challah into 1″ cubes. Leave the cubes out on a parchment lined sheet pan, on the counter, to get stale, at least overnight and preferably 3 days.

Melt 3 oz of butter in a large heavy pan. Saute the onions until wilted, add the herbs, celery and mushrooms and cook until just slightly cooked thorough.

In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, vegetables, melted butter and vegetable stock, and salt and pepper. Test for seasoning and adjust.

Press stuffing into a large buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered parchment and then foil. At this point, the stuffing can be held for several hours, but should be at room temperature before baking.

Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes, the last 10-15 minutes without the foil and parchment, to crisp the surface.

Everyone’s heard of “Christmas in July”, but I’m proposing “Thanksgiving in May” — why? Well, frankly, I’ve been sitting on these pictures and recipes for six months now, and I finally have the time to post them. Since we’re already being a little nutty, let’s also start with dessert — this insanely good Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie, which Lisa made after seeing the recipe on 101 Cookbooks. The original recipe suggests using freshly ground spices, and it does make a difference. I’m not sure how long this pumpkin pie lasted in our kitchen, I’m guessing “not long”.

Lisa says:

It’s. About. Time.

Chris says:

Hey, we’ve been busy!

Lisa says:

I know, but that Thanksgiving dinner was so awesome!

Chris says:

Well, now you can virtually re-experience everything.

Lisa says:

Seriously, I need to make this again. Until the blog is presented in Taste-O-Vision™, I’m just going to be craving this non-stop.

Puree 1 1/2 cups of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor until they turn into a hazelnut paste and set aside. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and set aside separately, to top the pie after baking. To make the pumpkin pie filling, whisk together the brown sugar, spices, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Now stir in the eggs and coconut milk until just combined. Set aside.

Place the pie crust in the pan, and then crumble the hazelnut paste on top of the pie dough and gently press it into a thin layer across the bottom. Use the last egg to brush the edges of the pie dough. Prick the pie dough a few times to prevent air bubbles. Finally, fill the pie crust with the puree mixture and bake for about 50 minutes. The center of the pie should just barely shake when you move the pie, and the edges should be set.

Let the pie cool a bit, then serve topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts.